


Competency

by Missy



Category: Alien Quadrilogy (Movies), Alien Series
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, F/M, Family, Family Feels, Found Family, Injury, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Past Violence, Romance, Team as Family, Yuletide Treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:08:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27985941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missy/pseuds/Missy
Summary: Ellen Ripley is a grown woman with a sprained finger.  A little teasing from her boyfriend and a little worry from her adopted daughter won't make things better, but they'll help.
Relationships: Dwayne Hicks/Ellen Ripley
Comments: 10
Kudos: 22
Collections: Yuletide Madness 2020





	Competency

**Author's Note:**

  * For [leigh57](https://archiveofourown.org/users/leigh57/gifts).



Dwayne had his tongue tucked between his teeth as he ran the scanner over Ellen’s arm. “Good news – looks like you didn’t break it.”

“I know I didn’t break it,” she said. “If I’d broken it, I wouldn’t be able to do this.” She flipped him off subtly, and winced as she extended her middle finger. The scanner buzzed and Dwayne clicked his tongue.

“Yep. Looks like a sprain.” He dug into the little first aid kit. “Why are you flipping me off in front of…” He didn’t say _our daughter_ , though he wanted to, because what was Newt if not that by now? She was currently sitting beside them watching him apply a splint to Ellen’s finger, expression concerned. “…her for?”

“You didn’t catch me,” she said plainly. He snorted.

“My arms were full of Newt,” he reminded her. “And I had to climb down a propeller shaft with one hand and one eye while you were firing up.”

“I’ll give you that point,” she growled, then grunted under her breath as he set her finger between the splints. It was already turning an ugly shade of purple he hadn’t seen since basic.

The sight of it made Newt whimper, and he had no idea what she was remembering but it had to be some dark shit. Ellen was on the case immediately.

“I’m okay,” she told Newt, and the fingers of her non-injured hand gently combed through the girls’ blonde hair. 

Hicks mentally counted the hours before they’d be able to see a real doctor. They were less than two day’s ride from the nearest space station, where they would get checked out, get paid in his case and hopefully get home – or to some sort of earthling outpost, since Ellen’s home was long gone, her daughter over a sixty years old, and she was roughly the age of her own granddaughter. Dwayne had no preferences when it came to their eventual settlement, having joined up with marines as a teenager to get away from his own family. 

She told him, dryly, that she tried not to spend too much time thinking about that fact.

“Not a bad job,” she said, flexing her finger. He took her hand and planted a kiss on the tip of her sprained finger.

“Still think I’m an asshole?” he whispered, hoping Newt couldn’t hear him even though she was an inch away.

“You’re a very competent asshole,” she whispered in his ear. kissing him just below the ear. Dwayne grinned the most arrogant grin he could muster, then started cleaning up the mess they’d made with Newt’s earnest help.


End file.
